Walking Wasteland Creature (CR +2)[3pp]

Sometimes the deities of poison and destruction take special delight in cursing the mortal forms of the innocent so that wherever they go, people and things tend to wither and die, or fall to rust and ruin. Sometimes rather than a curse this condition is caused by flawed magic or experimental alchemy, though the result is the same that many still feel as if they have been cursed by some malefic force. As a walking wasteland passes by plants curl up and turn black, wine sours, liquids spoil, wood rots away, metal rusts, mirrors shatter, animals run screaming and, in time, mere mortals perish. This toxic nature almost always affects a creatures appearance making sometimes appear like an undead creature though it is very much alive, though sometimes it looks perfectly normal, which can be even more frightening as it walks forward despoiling all around it.

Creating a Walking Wasteland Creature

Walking wasteland” is an acquired template that can be added to any creature.

A walking wasteland creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

CR: +2.

Defensive Abilities: ferocity, poisonous blood (poison cloud); Immune ability damage, ability drain, bleed, death effects, disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, mind-affecting, poison, nonlethal damage, sleep, stun; Resist cold, fire 10;

Special Abilities: A walking wasteland creature retains all the special abilities of the base creature, plus the special abilities as described below:

Degeneration Aura (Su)

Any living, creature within 10′ per HD of a walking wasteland creature must make a successful Fort save (DC 10 +1/2 the walking wasteland creature’s HD, + its Con modifier) or their regeneration and fast healing special abilities are suppressed for 24 hours. Anyone attempting to use spells, spell-like abilities, or magical items with a healing effect (including everything with the healing descriptor) within the area of effect must make a successful caster level check (DC 10 + walking wasteland’s final CR) or the healing effect fails.

In addition, any creature that failed its save suffers 1 point of negative energy damage per round within the area of effect; a walking wasteland creature heals an amount equal to the damage dealt.

A plant that isn’t a creature doesn’t receive a save and immediately withers and dies, though the walking wasteland creature does not heal any hit points.

Putrefying Aura (Su)

This effect spoils and poisons food and liquids within the radius of the walking wasteland’s degeneration and makes them unsuitable for consumption (it can only effect up to 1 cubic foot of food or drink per HD within its aura, so it could not despoil a ocean). A creature consuming such food or drink must succeed on a Fort save (DC 10 +1/2 the walking wasteland creature’s HD, + its Con modifier) or take 1 point of Constitution damage each round for 2 rounds. Vials of holy water and similar food and drinks are spoiled, as are magic potions. Purify food and drink can counter this effect through it requires a caster level check (DC 10 + walking wasteland’s final CR).

Poisonous Cloud (Su)

A walking wasteland creature is constantly surrounded by an invisible cloud of poisonous gas. The inhaled poison affects any creature that breathes the air or water within 10 feet of the walking wasteland creature.

Poison Cloud

Type inhaled; save Fortitude (DC 10 +1/2 the walking wasteland creature’s HD, + its Con modifier); frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Str damage plus sickened for 1 hour; cure 2 saves.

Ruin (Su)

A walking wasteland creature’s natural attacks causes any object it touches to swiftly rust, decay or corrode. The object touched takes half its maximum hp in damage and gains the broken condition-a second hit ruins the item. A walking wasteland creature never provokes attacks of opportunity by attempting to strike an object or weapon with its natural attacks. Against creatures made of non-living material (such as a construct or undead creature), a walking wasteland creature’s natural attacks deals 1d6 points of damage plus the base creature’s HD, an additional 1d6 points of damage is added for every two HD he base creature possess. An attended object, any magic object, or any non-living creature can attempt a Reflex save (DC 10 +1/2 the walking wasteland creature’s HD, + its Con modifier) to negate this effect. Creatures that hit a walking wasteland creature with manufactured weapons or non-living creatures that use natural attacks suffer effects though hit by the walking wasteland creature’s natural attacks and must make a Reflex save to avoid the ruin effect.

This even affects the ground a walking wasteland travels upon and as such it is almost always on the move, and creatures gain a +10 bonus to skill checks to track it.

Shattering Aura (Su)

Within the area of the walking wasteland’s degeneration aura non-magical objects of crystal, glass, ceramic, or porcelain are ruined. All such unattended objects are smashed into dozens of pieces by this effect. Objects weighing more than 1 pound per HD of the walking wasteland creature are not affected, but all other objects of the appropriate composition are shattered.

Abilities: Con +8

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathways Bestiary (c) 2017, Rite Publishing LLC.; Author: Steven D. Russell.

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